MORMONISM
and the NEGRO
pokmark
A DIVISION OF
COMMUNITY PRESS
PUBLISHING COMPANY
O K H M, UTAH
To
all seekers after truth
who believe that
God is both
just and merciful
MORMONISM
and the NEGRO
An explanation and defense of
the doctrine of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in regard to Negroes
and others of Negroid blood.
By JOHN J. STEWART
Editor of Publications
Associate Professor of Journalism
Utah State University
Logan, Utah
©
Copyright, I960, by John J. Stewart
and
Bookmark Division of Community Press
Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Second Edition
Printed in U.S.A.
FOREWORD
The two treatises brought together in this
little volume were produced independently. Mr.
Stewart's treatment of MORMONISM AND
THE NEGRO was originally delivered as a dis-
course and later printed upon request. Mr, Ber-
rett's treatise of the CHURCH AND THE NE-
GROID PEOPLE was written primarily to pro-
vide needed historical information to the many
teachers in the educational system of the Church.
Inasmuch as the two treatments tend to supple-
ment each other, there have been many requests
that they be published under one cover for the
convenience of the reader.
Both writers wish it to be understood that
they are writing as individuals and not as official
spokesmen for the Church, except insofar as they
have inserted quotations from various Presi-
dents of the Church. It is hoped that thoughtful
people will find herein understanding of a dif-
ficult problem, insofar as understanding is pos-
sible without further revelation pertaining to
man's pre-earth and post-earth life, and with
that understanding work intelligently to pro-
mote the welfare of all peoples. The writers
have great respect for the Negroid people, many
of whom are counted among their friends, and
in whose welfare they are deeply concerned.
The Authors
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John }. Stewart is Editor of Publications
and Associate Professor of Journalism at Utah
State University of Logan, Utah.
He is the author of several books and maga-
zine articles, has been a newspaper correspond-
ent and feature writer. He is a graduate student
of the University of Oregon and his thesis on
Joseph Smirh, rhe organizer of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, won high ac-
claim in the field of journalism. An ardent stu-
dent of Church History and Docrrine he is in
constant demand as a speaker and journalist .
His other books are THE ETERNAL GIFT;
JOSEPH SMITH, DEMOCRACY'S UN-
KNOWN PROPHET; and THOMAS JEFFER-
SON AND THE RESTORATION OF THE
GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
MORMONISM
and the NEGRO
I
There is nothing in the doctrines of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about
which any member need feel any shame, apology
or embarrassment. Perhaps in the individual fail-
ings and weaknesses of some who profess to be
members, there may be cause, but not in the
Gospel itself.
As the Apostle Paul said, "For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth . . . 1,1
Yet, because of the popular beliefs and
traditions of the world, there are at least two
points of doctrine and history of this Church
about which many LDS themselves — to say noth-
ing of many non-members — feel ill at ease or
critical. One of these is its doctrine regarding
the Negro.
If we properly understood this doctrine,
and the reasons for it, we would not feel critical
of it. "And ye shall know the truth," taught
Jesus, "and the truth shall make you free." 2 We
would become free of any misgivings about
these teachings, and readily proclaim to the
world what they are, and why.
7
II
Briefly, the LDS policy on Negroes is this:
Negroes and other people with Negroid blood
can become members of the Church, and through
righteous works receive patriarchal blessings,
enter the temple to pet form baptisms for the
dead, become heirs ro the Celestial kingdom
and otherwise partake of many blessings afford-
ed worthy members of the Church, but they
cannot be ordained to the Priesthood, nor are
they eligible for marriage in an LDS remple;
Negroes and non-Negroes should nor inter-
marry.
In regard to this LDS policy on Negroes,
members of the Church face rhree alternatives:
( 1 ) Be apologisers for the Church; say that
it is old fashioned, outmoded on this point;
prejudiced.
( 2 ) Confess that we do not know the
reason for this policy, although we accept it;
that we have a blind faith in it.
(3) Proclaim that it is a correct and rea-
sonable doctrine, that it is tenable, that we have
no reason either to apologize for it nor evade
questions about it. We must then explain the
reasons for it and show that it is consistent with
the rest of LDS doctrine.
The first two alternatives are totally un-
acceptable to me:
8
If we are apologisers for the Church on this
point, then we admit in effect that all Gospel
doctrine is not sound; we say in effect that either
the original position of the Church was incor-
rect on this matter, or, if it was correct, that
we as a Church do not enjoy continuous revela-
tion and thus have become out-dated on this
doctrine. If we deny continuous revelation in
the Church then we place ourselves in much
the same position as all other so-called Christian
sects, and isolate ourselves from God, the head
of our Church.
If we accept the second alternative, that
of blind faith in the doctrine, something that
we do not understand but do not question, then
we place ourselves in much the same position as
churches that favor blind faith. And we find
ourselves having to evade rather than face issues.
But LDS theology teaches us that our faith
should be an intelligent faith, not a blind
faith. For instance, we read in the BOOK OF
Moses:
"And after many days an angel of the Lord
appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou
offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said
unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded
me. And then the angel spake, saying, This
thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only
Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and
truth . . . " 3
From this scripture and numerous others,
it can be seen that God does not wish us to be
content with blind faith. He desires that we
have intelligent faith and understanding. "The
glory of God is intelligence" observed the
Prophet Joseph Smith. 4
So, the true Church member rules out the
first two alternatives and moves to the third:
to proclaim that it is a correct doctrine, then
explain why this is so.
10
Ill
We must consider and give satisfaction on
this problem from five different points of view:
(1) Loyal IDS Church members, who de-
serve reassurance that all Gospel teachings are
true and just.
(2) Interested Negro investigators of Mor-
monism.
(3) Other honest investigators of Mor-
mon ism, whose acceptance of Gospel truths
may, as with group 2, be thwarted by their mis-
understanding of this doctrine.
(4) Negroes at large, who are not in-
vestigators of the Gospel, but are nonetheless
fellow human beings and members of our society.
( 5 ) Skeptics or "Mormon-baiters," whether
inside or outside the Church.
This last group, the "Mormon-baiters," we
can dismiss in a hurry. They have already closed
their mind to truth and reason. You cannot
prove anything to anybody who is determined
not to believe a thing.
Consider the foolishness and the hypocrisy
of their position: They are denouncing the LDS
Church for not allowing the Negro to hold the
Priesthood, yet, they claim that there is no
authenticity nor value in the Priesthood. So,
if they were really concerned about the welfare
of the Negro, they should be grateful that the
LDS Church does not allow the Negro to par-
take of such humbugery as they deem the Priest-
hood to be.
On close analysis we see that they are try-
ing to have foisted onto the Negro a thing they
consider to be of no worth. And I suspect that
is about as much genuine interest as they have
in the welfare of the Negro. Their objective,
we see, is not justice for the Negro, but perse-
cution of the LDS Church, They are partakers
of the spirit of Satan.
But to the other four groups: the conscien-
tious Church member, the investigator, the
Negro investigator, and the Negro at large, we
are pleased to give an explanation of this doc-
trine. They are each entitled to an answer.
12
IV
To gain understanding on this matter, first
let us consider carefully the position of the apolo-
giser, the conscientious member of the Church
who feels badly about this particular doctrine:
His stand is perhaps motivated by a high ideal,
the ideal that "all men are created equal," as
Thomas Jefferson so nobly expressed it. Let us
say that the apologiser believes this, and to him
the LDS policy of not allowing the Negro to
hold the Priesthood, and enjoy its attendant
blessings, seems to indicate that we are legis-
lating against him and that we are therefore
taking exception to that ideal that all men are
created equal. To the apologiser it seems that we
are allowing race and color prejudice to enter
into Gospel doctrine, that we allow the world's
prejudice against the Negro to influence us.
Now, these are high, noble motives and
ideas that prompt these feelings of the apolo-
giser, and he is worthy of commendation for
such feelings. But in his desire to see justice
done to the Negro, he has failed to fully explore
the matter in light of historical facts and Gospel
truths:
Jefferson's idealistic declaration, "We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal . . . " s is consistent with LDS teach-
ings. But where the apologiser loses his way is
in forgetting that men were not created, in
13
the proper sense of the word, at the beginning
of life in this world, but rather thousands of
years ago.
In fact, we were co-eternal with God Him-
self, and He created or organized us as spirit
entities long before we came into this mortal
world. Now, here is a great eternal truth that
the world at large knows little about. But mem-
bers of the Church know it, and cannot afford
to forget it. We will return to this point later.
1-1
V
In supposing that LDS policy in not allow-
ing the Negro to hold the Priesthood was the
result of, or influenced by, world prejudice
against the Negro, and especially by the fact
that Negroes were slaves in America at the
time the Gospel was restored — in believing
this to be so, the apologiser not only shows an
ignorance of historical facts, but he reveals a
personal doubt in the validity of the inspiration
and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and
his successors in the presidency of the Church.
He also betrays a lack of reasoning, A careful
study of the life and teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith would show the fallacy of this
supposition. Let us consider this for a moment:
The Prophet's whole life shows beyond
doubt that he was not afraid of persecution nor
public censure nor ridicule. He openly taught
his convictions of truth, no matter how much
trouble and hardship it brought upon him. He
even gave his life rather than yield to such pres-
sure or to compromise on truth.
To suppose that he would curry the favor
of the world by manifesting a prejudice against
the Negro is an affront to this courageous man,
and to the known facts of history. Let us ask
the apologiser this: If Joseph Smith denied the
Negro the right to the Priesthood, as a means
of currying favor with the world, or as a means
15
of satisfying his personal prejudice, then why
did he allow the Negro to hold membership
in the Church at all?
Surely the popular thing would have been
for him to proclaim that no Negro could join
the LDS Church. We must keep in mind that in
the United States in the 1830's the unpopular
person in society was not the slave owner, but
rather the abolitionist. By and large, slavery was
still popular during the entire lifetime of the
Prophet, 1805-1844.
Rather than his trying to curry favor with
non-Mormons over the Negro question, what
was really the conduct of the Prophet Joseph
in this matter?
In the early 1830 s he wrote and published
in the Messenger and Advocate, the Church
newspaper at Kirtland, Ohio, an editorial sug-
gesting that leading men in the southern states
should take measures to liberate the slaves, so
that the Negro could enjoy the blessings of a
free nation. He also invited an abolitionist to
give a public speech in Kirtland, at a time when
abolitionists were generally hated in the North
as well as in the South.
Do you know what the immediate cause
was of the Latter-day Saints' being driven out
of Independence, Jackson County, Missouri,
when they lost hundreds of Thousands of dollars
worth of property, and some of them forfeited
their lives?
16
It was an editorial published in the LDS
newspaper there, The Evening and Morning
Star, entitled, "Free People of Color," and an
editorial filler in the same edition of the paper,
in which the editor noted that, "In connection
with the wonderful events of this age, much is
doing towards abolishing slavery, and colonizing
the Blacks in Africa,"
This, remember, was published in the slave
state of Missouri by a people already being per-
secuted. "Was this done, do you suppose, to curry
favor? As soon as this edition was published, the
mobs, prodded by the ministers of the Protestant
sects there, destroyed the Church's printing of-
fice, tarred and feathered Bishop Edward Part-
ridge, and began their destruction of the Saints'
property, finally driving them from the state. In
their ultimatum to the Mormons, demanding
that they leave or be exterminated, the MIssou-
rians declared that the Mormons' policy of allow-
ing the Negto to hold membership in the LDS
Church "exhibits them in still more odious
colors."
And at the time of this popular prejudice
against the Negroes what did the Prophet Joseph
Smith declare?
"They have souls, and are subjects of salva-
tion. Go into Cincinnati or any city, and find an
educated Negro, who rides in Ms carriage, and
you will see a man who has risen by the powers
of his own mind to his exalted state of respecta-
17
bility. The slaves in Washington are more re-
fined than many in high places, and the Hack
boys will take the shine off many of those they
brush and wait on." 6
When, at the age of 38, the Prophet was
seeking the presidency of the United States in
1844, sixteen years before the beginning of the
Civil Wat, and when most of the nation still
favored slavery, he strongly advocated that the
Negtoes be freed. In his political manifesto,
Views on the Powers and Policy of Gov-
ernment, which was widely published in the
spring of 1844, the Prophet implored:
"Petition also, ye goodly inhabitants of the
slave states, your legislators to abolish slavery
by the year 1850, or now, and save the aboli-
tionist from reproach and ruin, infamy and
shame. Pray Congress to pay every man a rea-
sonable price for his slaves out of the surplus
revenue arising from the sale of public lands,
and from the deduction of pay from the mem-
bers of Congress. Break off the shackles from
the poor black man, and hire them to labor like
other human beings; for 'an hour of virtuous
liberty on earth is worth a whole eternity of
bondage'/" 7
The Prophet had Negro servants and friends
who were devoted to him, recognizing in him
a champion of their race and rights.
It is interesting to note, too, that among
the very first company of Saints to make the
18
famous Mormon pioneer trek across the plains
to Utah there were three Negroes.
Now, in view of the historical facts, can
the apologiser reasonably believes that the LDS
doctrine enunciated by Joseph Smith on the
Negroes' not holding the Priesthood — that this
was actuated by his desire to please the public
or to satisfy some personal prejudice?
If this was not the reason, then what was?
The fact is that every doctrine the Prophet
Joseph announced for the organization and direc-
tion of the LDS Church was revealed to him
by the Lord. Many were his teachings and prac-
tices which displeased the world, but he held
fast to them because the doctrines were of di-
vine origin. So, the apologiser finds himself in
an awkward position, that of not only apolo-
gizing for the Church but for God Himself.
It Is a precarious position to be in, to say the
least.
If we as members of the Church are going
to pick and choose among the Prophet's teach-
ings, and say "this one is of God, we can accept
it, but this one is of man, we will reject that,"
then we are undermining the whole structure
of our faith, and for our own personal sake we
cannot afford to do rhat.
Besides, I have shown that the Prophet's
own attitude, as demonstrated in both speech
and action, was one of fairness and kindness
toward the Negro.
19
VI
I now propose to show three important
truths: (1) that the LDS doctrine of not allow-
ing the Negro to bear the Priesthood is entirely
consistent with both of the two great attributes
of God himself, the attributes of justice and
mercy; (2) that in this matter of the Negroes'
not holding the Priesthood we can gain a much
clearer insight into those basic Gospel principles
of FREE AGENCY, FORE -ORDINATION, and ETER-
NAL progress; (3) that a belief in the correct-
ness of this doctrine is consistent with other
beliefs and practices in daily life which we sel-
dom if ever question.
Now, let us see whether we agree upon
certain fundamentals, so that we have a common
premise from which to work:
We believe that God is our Creator, that
He is an all-wise God, that He is concerned
about the eternal welfare of all His Children,
one as well as another. We believe that He is
all-powerful, and controls in the destiny of man-
kind and all that pertains to it. We further be-
lieve in the concept of eternal progress: that
as man is God once was, and as God is, man
may become. (May become, not necessarily wiU
become, for that would not make allowance for
free agency. We may become like God, or we
may become like Satan, or we may become some-
thing in between these two extremes.)
20
As part of this plan of eternal progress
we believe that this world — this mortal life
that we are now in — is just one of several stages
of eternal life: We believe that we had a pre-
mortal existence, first as an intelligence, co-
eternal with God Himself, and then as an or-
ganized spirit child of God, and that during
that pre-mortal existence we had individual
identity and were capable of doing good or
evil. For example, we believe that approximately
one-third of the hosts of heaven- — one-third of
those spirit brothers of ours — kept not their first
estate, but rather rebelled against God and His
plan for our eternal progress and allied them-
selves with Lucifer, a son of the morning, who,
through vanity and selfishness, rebelled against
God. We believe that Satan and the third of
the spirit children of God who followed Satan
were cast out of the presence of God, and became
Perdition and Sons of Perdition. In this plan
of eternal progress, we believe that this mortal
life is not the end of our existence, but that
we will continue on eternally, passing through
other stages, as designed by God our Creator.
We believe that an essential key to this
plan of eternal life is that of individual free
agency; that God Himself developed through
free agency, and that He recognizes free agency
as necessary to the development of any person.
It is in the very divine nature of man to insist
upon free agency, as can amply be seen in our
21
own lives and in the history of the world gen-
erally. We believe that in the great council in
heaven, one reason Lucifer's plan was rejected
was because he proposed to deny man his free
agency, and God realized that such a plan was
neither desirable nor workable.
We believe that while man, in his present
state of development or eternal progress, has
only a finite mind, that God has an infinite
mind, and that therefore man's ways are not
necessarily God's ways. God views things from
the standpoint of the eternal, not from just the
immediate or mortal point of view. A thousand
years with man is but a day with God — this
time relationship being based upon the natural
laws and structure of the universe.
We believe that God's house is a house of
order and not a house of confusion; that His
actions and plans are reasonable and logical,
not haphazard nor happenstance.
As part of this plan of eternal progress
we believe in the principle of fore-ordination
— not pre-destination, for that would not con-
form to free agency, In this, we believe that
certain personalities in the pre-mortal existence,
because of their record of conduct and perform-
ance there, were chosen of God to come to earth,
to this mortal state, at specified times during
the world's history and to be given the oppor-
tunity to accomplish certain things as servants
22
of the Lord in executing His plan of eternal
progress for the human race.
This principle of fore-ordination is logical
because it reflects the justice of God in reward-
ing His children for obedience and for being
valiant in helping to further His plan for the
good of all mankind.
Such a fore-ordained person, according to
scripture, was Abraham:
"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abra-
ham, the intelligences that were organized be-
fore the world was; and among all these there
were many of the noble and great ones; And
God saw these souls that they were good, and he
stood in the midst of them-, and he said: These
I will make my rulers; for he stood among those
that were spirits, and he saw that they were good;
and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one
of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast
born." 8
Abraham was not denied his free agency
in this matter; he could have rejected or for-
feited his favored position upon the earth, just
as many others have. For instance, Thomas B.
Marsh, the first president of the first Quorum
of Twelve Apostles in this the Dispensation of
the Fulness of Times, was fore-ordained of God,
as were Joseph Smith and others. But Marsh,
exercising his free agency, and tempted of Satan
— as all men are — forfeited his fore-ordination
23
and fell from his high calling. Likewise did
Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, David Whit-
mer, Frederick G. Williams, William Law, and
many others.
We believe that we were fore-ordained
to the privilege of membership in this Church
and Priesthood; privileged to be born under the
favorable circumstances that we have been, at
such an opportune time and place. Yet, many of
us, exercising our free agency, are forfeiting
this birthright, this fore-ordination.
If a person does not believe in this prin-
ciple of fore-ordination, then he does not believe
in a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, for
the very mission of Jesus Christ Himself, as
Redeemer of the world and Saviour of mankind,
was arranged upon the principle of fore-ordina-
tion.
Or do you suppose that He, in and of
Himself, after His birth upon the earth, decided
that He would become the Redeemer and the
Saviour?
24
VII
Now, if through fore-ordination, as a result
of their performance in the spirit life, certain
individuals were privileged to be born under
the most favorable possible circumstances, then
it must necessarily follow that others would be
born under less favorable circumstances, and still
others under the least favorable circumstances.
It is good to be idealistic, but we should
at the same time be rational: If person "A"
is the tallest man in the room, it must follow
that other men in the room are shorter, and
person "X" is the shortest.
Is it just or unjust on the part of Gcd, our
Creator, to enable people to be born under those
circumstances and with those opportunities con-
sistent with their conduct in the spirit world?
If an individual or a business firm or gov-
ernment agency has a number of men working
for him or it, are they all rewarded the same?
Are they all made president, or vice president,
or district managers? Or are they rewarded in
accordance with their integrity and ability?
We do not question the correctness, justice
nor logic of varying degrees of excellence and
of opportunity among men in whatsoever walk
of life,
The thing that would be unjust, and illogi-
cal, and chaotic, would be God's rewarding all
men the same regardless of their integrity or
23
lack of it. Carry this foolish notion to the ulti-
mate and you would place Christ and Satan
on a par.
Now, we believe that the old sectarian
notion that when a person dies he goes to one
of two places, either heaven or hell, to either
an eternity of bliss or an eternity of torment —
I say, we believe that this doctrine is a vicious
fallacy: to say that God draws the line at a cer-
tain point and says, now all above the line come
into heaven, all below go down to hell. At what
point can such a line be reasonably or justly
drawn? Between the man who steals a thousand
dollats and the one who steals only nine hun-
dred?
This is one of the many false notions of the
world that the Prophet Joseph Smith clarified.
The Lord revealed to him the state of perdition
and the three degrees of glory: the Celestial,
the Terrestrial, and the Telestial, within each
of which there are innumerable degrees of salva-
tion and exaltation, each person enjoying that
degree which he has earned through his con-
duct in the pre-mortal and the mortal worlds.
Is this not justice? Do you rather, you
apologisers, accept the old sectarian notion of
justice: one heaven and one hell? Or do you
indulge in muddied idealistic thinking and pic-
ture every person as being crowned in heaven,
regardless of how filthy and unworthy and dis-
obedient his conduct has been? Is there eithet
2d
justice, mercy, or reason in such a notion? Do
you suppose it would be merciful to the murder-
er, the adulterer, the unrepentant thief, or to
Satan himself, to place him, or any of them, in
the presence of God and Christ and their holy
angels? How comfortable is the adulterer sitting
in church, or in the company of God-fearing
men? Why do you suppose it is so difficult for
those who have fallen into sin of any kind to
participate in church activities? Is it not because
when we sin we sin against our own souls, and
create a conflict and turmoil within ourselves?
In life after death, through the justice and
mercy of God, we will each seek our own level,
the place in which we feel most comfortable
and best suited; we will judge ourselves as well
as being judged of God. This principle of human
nature can be seen at work in daily life. Even in
state and federal prisons, among murderers,
rapists, thieves, et al, it is not uncommon to
find the prisoners themselves demanding segre-
gation.
This self- judgment is based upon a natural
law, a law of human nature, which is divine
nature, man being literally a child of God.
Now, I ask you, if it is logical, just and
merciful, that in life after death, after this phase
of our eternal existence, for us to be awarded
varying degrees of glory, is it not consistent,
and in complete harmony with God's eternal
scheme of things, that the same pattern should
27
be followed in this mortal stage of our existence?
That is, that our positions, the circumstances
of our birth into this life, be determined by our
conduct in a life before this? To me it is both
reasonable and just.
If you do not believe it to be so, then
let me ask how you can conceive it to be justice
on the part of God to allow His children to be
born under the widely varying circumstances
under which they are born? Do you suppose
that God, the Creator of us all, does not know
that spirit "X" is going to be born into such
and such family? Can you reasonably believe that
the circumstances of our birth are by mere
chance, or by lot?
There is neither logic nor justice in this
notion of chance. It says in effect that while
God is the Father of us all, He does not know
just what is going on; that His house is a house
of confusion, not a house of order.
Let us return to our premise that God is
our Father and controls in the destiny of men;
that He rewards us in accordance with our merit.
This we see in His selection of Jesus Christ as
the Redeemer of the world, and in His selec-
tion of Abraham, Moses, Peter and others for
their particular roles. Do you suppose that God
would be solicitous of their lives, and yet not
be aware of the lives of the rest of His children,
including the circumstances of their birth?
Such a notion is entirely irrational and
28
inconsistent. It makes a mockery of our prayers.
For example, both publicly and privately in
our prayers we thank God that we enjoy the
blessings of living in a Democracy, of being
free from political tyranny, of being born under
the Gospel covenant or of having had the Gospel
preached to us, etc. Now, do we offer these
prayers in sincerity, or are we merely speaking
words? If sincerely, then do we believe we have
been so blessed in accordance with our worthi-
ness, as determined by our performance in the
pre- mortal life, or do we accredit it to a fickle
God who shows favoritism rather than justice
in His dealings with His children? A God who
is a respecter of persons, even though He has
declared that He is not? Is there any justice in
a God who would just arbitrarily assign one child
to birth into a fine Christian family with mul-
tiple blessings of life, and another child to
birth under circumstances leading to a life of
squalor or prostitution?
If we really believe the scriptures that we
profess to believe, then we believe that Lucifer
and one-third of the hosts of heaven rebelled
against God and were thus cast out of heaven,
were denied the privilege of partaking of mortal
bodies, and have become Perdition and Sons of
Perdition. This is not a pleasant picture, but we
believe it to be a true one.
Neither are the millions of insane and af-
flicted people upon the earth, nor the squalor,
29
filth, poverty and degradation in the world, a
pleasant picture. Yet, we know that these condi-
tions do exist, and we believe that the people
living under such unfortunate conditions are
children of God and are our brothers and sisters.
If God would allow one-third of His chil-
dren, through exercise of their free agency, to
become Sons of Perdition and thus deprive them-
selves of eternal progress, is it difficult or incon-
sistent to believe that He would allow millions
of the other two-thirds, through their own free
agency, to penalize themselves as to their circum-
stances in this world?
We have shown the fallacy of believing
that there is one heaven and one hell, with a
sharp division between the two. Is it logical to
believe that there was a sharp division among
the hosts of heaven in the spirit world, to believe
that each individual of the two-thirds who re-
mained faithful to God were equally valiant, one
compared to another, in their conduct? We are
the same spirits upon this earth as we were in
the pre-mortal state, and do we find here that
all are as valiant, one as much as another? Or
do we find that there are all degrees and vari-
ations among us? just as there will be innumer-
able degrees of progress and glory in the life
hereafter?
It comes back to the difference between
the two plans of salvation, the one proposed by
Christ and the other by Lucifer: Lucifer said
30
that he would compel men to obey the Gospel
and would save everyone. God rejected this plan,
knowing that compulsion could not and should
not work, that man could not and should not
be compelled to progress. Christ said that He
would give man his free agency, would teach
him the Gospel, allow him to be tried and tested.
Under Christ's plan some would attain the high-
est degree of glory, some a lesser degree, and
some would be lost, for such is the inevitable
result of free agency, of a choice between good
and evil. This is the plan that God the Father
accepted, for He knew that man could not de-
velop God-like attributes without free agency.
The nature of man is eternal, and every
day we see about us the results of free agency,
some choosing good and others choosing evil,
some being energetic in the cause of truth, and
others being apathetic, indifferent. We, there-
fore, need not rely on faith in this principle; we
know it for a certainty, for it is daily before us.
In view of the divine, eternal nature of
man, what reason have we to question that the
same result of free agency existed in the pre-
mortal state?
31
VIII
In considering this matter we must remem-
ber that this world is not the final stage of
life. Our eternal existence is much like a race
of several laps or relays: we may move rapidly
ahead in the first lap and fall behind in the
next; or we may start out slowly in the first
but speed ahead in the second. That is the way
it is in this mortal stage of life: we may
neglect our opportunities for a number of years,
or even get off on the wrong track, then later
repent and make amends, or vice versa. And so
it is in immortal life, in the eternal scheme.
Satan and a third of the hosts of heaven
disqualified themselves for further racing. But
of the two-thirds who stayed in the race, some
moved ahead swiftly and others slowly; that is,
some were valiant and proved themselves worthy
of favored positions in their next stage of exist-
ence; others less so, and still others, least worthy
among those who did qualify to enter that next
stage— our present state of mortality.
We were all eager for an opportunity to
partake of mortality, knowing that it was a
necessary step in eternal progress. And we were
willing to come into mortality under those cir-
cumstances that we had merited by our conduct
in that first estate — the pre-mortal existence,
even though undoubtedly those who had not
been valiant there wished that they had been,
32
just as those of us not valiant in the Gospel
cause in this life will have regrets in the next
life.
A typical critic of the LDS policy regarding
Negroes 9 has asserted that, "This doctrine pressed
to its logical conclusion -would say that Dr.
George Washington Carver, the late eminent
and saintly Negro scientist, is by virtue of the
color of his skin, inferior even to the least ad-
mirable white person, not because of the virtues
he may or may not possess, but because — through
no fault of his — there is a dark pigment in his
skin."
There is nothing in LDS teaching to sup-
port or indicate such a notion as this. The cir-
cumstances of our birth in this world are de-
pendent upon our performance in the spirit
world, just as the circumstances of our exist-
ence in the next world will depend upon what
use we make of the blessings and opportunities
we enjoy in this world. According to LDS doc-
trine, Dr. George Washington Carver — who, in-
cidentally, was a mulatto rather than a Negro —
will be far ahead of many of us born under more
favorable circumstances in this life, for he made
the most of his opportunities, while many of us
are forfeiting our birthright. We were ahead of
him in the first lap of the race, but he has
gone far ahead of many of us in the second. God
has told us that He will judge men according
to what they do with the light and knowledge
and opportunities given them. "For of htm unto
whom much is given much is required; and he
-who sins against the greater light shall receive
the greater condemnation." 10
While the Negro and others of Negroid
blood cannot hold the Priesthood, in this stage
of life, apparently because of a lack of valor in
the pre-mortal existence, neither are any of them
likely to become Sons of Perdition — as many of
the Priesthood bearers might become. Again in
this we see the justice and mercy of God: that
while in a certain stage of existence a man cannot
attain the highest blessings, neither is he so
subject to the danger of falling to the lowest
state.
34
IX
Those who think that the Negroes' not be-
ing allowed the Priesthood and its attendant
blessings in this mortal state is due to racial
prejudice might consider the fact that there
have been millions of people live and die npon
this earth who likewise have not had the privi-
lege of bearing the Priesthood here, regardless
of what the color of their skin was. For centur-
ies the Priesthood was not upon the earth, except
as possessed perhaps by a few key servants of
God.
The critic should note, too, that there are
hundreds of millions of people upon the earth
today who do not enjoy the privilege of even
belonging to the Church, to say nothing of the
Priesthood, for they have never heard of it, while
there are many Negroes, here in the United
States and elsewhere, who have had the oppor-
tunity to join the Church. This is further evi-
dence of the fallacy of the racial prejudice accu-
sation.
For that matter, if the critic or the apologiser
is going to feign indignation about Negroes'
not being allowed to bear the Priesthood, why
should he not feel even more indignant about
women not having the Priesthood conferred upon
them? Is this sex prejudice? The Church says that
women sealed in Celestial marriage enjoy the
blessings of the Priesthood in connection with
35
their husbands. But they do not hold the Priest-
hood. And there are thousands of LDS women
who do not have the opportunity of entering
Celestial marriage and thus of directly sharing
the benefits of the Priesthood. Is this an injustice
of God to them, in denying them the Priesthood?
36
X
In scripture we read of quite a number of
instances of God's placing a curse or mark upon
a certain person or people because of their mis-
conduct and disobedience to His laws. The curse
usually involves not only that particular person
or generation of people, but their posterity as
well. One example is the Jews, cursed to become
"a hiss and a byword"; another is the Lamanites,
whose skin was turned dark, and that of their
children after them.
Would it be justice on the part of God
to just haphazardly or arbitrarily assign certain
spirits to be born into these families or nations,
just for the sake of carrying out His curse upon
the guilty party? Or would He assign those souls
whose performance in the spirit world warrants
such a circumstance of birth? Which is in keep-
ing with God's attribute of justice? Which is
reasonable?
Think of the millions of spirits born into
the Lamanite race after the Lamanites had be-
come a fallen people. How can you justify such
an unfortunate citcumstance of birth except on
the basis of individual performance in pre-
mortal life?
"We believe that men will be punish-
ed FOR THEIR OWN SINS, AND NOT FOR ADAM'S
TRANSGRESSION," DECLARED THE PROPHET
Joseph Smith. 11
37
And so it is with the Negroes. There were
those in the spirit world whose performance
caused them to forfeit the right to bear the
Priesthood of God and enjoy its attendant
blessings in this world.
38
XI
Cain, a son of Adam and Eve, apparently
had quite a different record in the Spirit world.
He was likely one of the valiant ones there, and
thus was born inro rhis world under the most
favorable circumstances, of a noble sire and
mother, and was even privileged to walk and
talk with God. Yet, Cain fell to the temptations
of Satan, rejected God, murdered his brother
Abel and thus brought upon himself a curse.
"And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not
to call upon God. And Adam knew Eve his wife,
and she conceived and bare Cain, and said: I
have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he
may not reject his words. But behold, Cain
hearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I
should know him?
"And she again conceived and bare his
brother Abel. And Abel hearkened unto the voice
of the Lord. And Abel was a keeper of sheep,
but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
"And Cain loved Satan more than God.
And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an
offering unto the Lord.
"And in process of time it came to pass that
Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offer-
ing unto the Lord.
"And Abel he also brought of the firstlings
of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the
Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering;
39
"But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had
not respect. Now Satan knew this, and it pleased
him, and Cain was very wroth, and his counte-
nance fell.
"And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art
thou wroth? Why is thy countenance fallen?
"If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted.
And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door,
and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou
shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will
deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee accord-
ing to his desire. And thou shalt rule over him;
"For from this time forth thou shalt be the
father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition;
for thou wast also before the world.
"And it shall be said in time to come —
That these abominations were had from Cain;
for he rejected the greater counsel which was
had from God; and this is a cursing which I will
put upon thee, except thou repent.
"And Cain was wroth, and listened not
any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to
Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before
the Lord.
"And Adam and his wife mourned before
the Lord because of Cain and his brethren,
"And it came to pass that Cain took one of
his brothei's daughters to wife, and they loved
Satan more than God.
"And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me
by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die;
40
and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by
the living God, that they tell it not; for if they
tell it, they shall surely die! and this that thy
father may not know it; and this day I will de-
liver thy brother Abel into thine hands.
"And Satan sware unto Cain that he would
do according to his commands. And all these
things were done in secret,
"And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the
master of this great secret, that 1 may murder
and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master
Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness . . ," 13
After Cain had defied God's warnings, com-
mitted murder, denied the Holy Ghost and had
become Perdition, to rule over Satan, God said
to him, "And now thou shalt be cursed from
the earth which hath opened her mouth to re-
ceive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When
thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a
vagabond shalt thou be in the earth."
Cain protested, "he that findeth me will
slay me, because of mine iniquities."
And the Lord replied, "Whosoever slayeth
thee, vengeance shall be taken on Mm seven-
fold. And I the Lord set a mark upon Cain,
lest any finding him should kill him." 13
Later we read, in Moses' account, "and
there was a blackness came upon all the children
of Canaan, that they were despised among all
people." 14 "And Enoch also beheld the residue
41
of the people which were the sons of Adam;
and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam
save it were the seed of Cain, for the seed of
Cain were black, and had not place among
them," 15
And in the Book of Abraham we read
that at the time of the great flood when Noah
with his three sons and their families were the
only ones preserved, that the seed of Cain was
perpetuated through one of Noah's sons, Ham,
and his wife, Egyptus, apparently a Negress,
and that Ham and his descendants were denied
the right to hold the Priesthood.
Father Abraham, chronicling the genealogy
of the Egyptians of his day, states:
"Behold, Po tip bar's Hill was in the land of
Ur, of Chaldea. And the Lord broke down the
altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land,
and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest
that he died; and there was great mourning in
Chaldea, and also in the court of Pharaoh, which
Pharaoh signifies king by royal blood.
"Now this king of Egypt was a descendant
from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of
the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
"From this descent sprang all the Egyp-
tians 16 and thus the blood of the Canaanites was
preserved in the land.
"The land of Egypt being first discovered
by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham,
42
and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chal-
dean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which
is forbidden.
"When this woman discovered the land it
was under water, 1 ' who afterward settled her
sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race
which preserved the curse in the land.
"Now the first government of Egypt was
established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus,
the daughter of Ham, ls and it was after the
manner of the government of Ham, which was
patriarchal.
"Pharaoh, being a righteous man, estab-
lished his kingdom and judged his people wisely
and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imi-
tate that order established by the fathers in the
first generations, in the days of the first patriar-
chal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also
of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the
blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of
wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the
Priesthood.
"Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by
which he could not have the right of Priesthood,
notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim
it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father
was led away by their idolatry." 19
Note that Pharaoh was a good man, just
as Dr. George Washington Carver and many
others of Negroid blood have been and are
good men. Note, too, that Ham and his posterity,
43
through the mercy of God, were blessed "with
the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings
of wisdom" although denied the right of Priest-
hood.
Among the Negroid people, as indeed
among all the races of the earth, there is infi-
nite variety and degree of circumstances of birth,
of goodness, of opportunity or lack of it. There
are Negroes born into families of wealth and
refinement, others who are blessed with great
talents, and there are those born into the lowest
classes of society in Africa, in squalor and ig-
norance, living out their lives in a fashion akin
to that of the animals.
Does not this infinite variety of circum-
stance give further evidence of man's being as-
signed that station in life which he has merited
by his performance in the pre-mortal existence?
Note, also, that part of Cain's curse was to
have as his postetity those spirits unable to
bear the Priesthood in this life. In view of the
importance that humans rightly attach to their
children, their posterity, what greater curse could
come upon Cain, as pertaining to this life? And
what could be more appropriate than for these
spirits to have such a man as Cain as their
progenitor?
To suppose that the Negroes, the descend-
ants of Cain, are born with black skins and are
denied the Priesthood merely to perpetuate God's
44
curse upon Cain, is alike an affront to reason-
ing man and to the justice and mercy of God.
In the above scripture from Abraham, then,
we have a reliable account of the early geneal-
ogy of the Negro race, and in Abraham's com-
ments we have further evidence of the divine
direction in the LDS Church policy of not allow-
ing the Negro, the seed of Cain and Ham* to
bear the Priesthood.
45
XII
This divinely directed policy has been re-
affirmed by the Church leaders in our day. In
answering the letter of a prominent Mormon
critical of the Church policy in this matter, the
First Presidency of the LDS Church, a few years
ago, wrote as follows:
"We might make this initial remark: The
social side of the Restored Gospel is only an
incident of it; it is not the end thereof.
"The basic element of your ideas and con-
cepts seems to be that all God's children stand in
equal positions before Him in all things.
"Your knowledge of the Gospel will indi-
cate to you that this is contrary to the very
fundamentals of God's dealing with Israel dating
from the time of His promise to Abraham re-
garding Abraham's seed and their position vis-
a-vis with God Himself. Indeed, some of God's
children were assigned to superior positions be-
fore the world was formed. We are aware that
some Higher Critics do not accept this, but the
Church does.
"Your position seems to lose sight of the
revelations of the Lord touching the pre-exist-
ence of our spirits, the rebellion in heaven, and
the doctrine that our birth into this life and the
advantages under which we may be born, have
a relationship in the life heretofore.
"From the days of the Prophet Joseph even
46
until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church,
never questioned by any of the Church leaders,
that the Negroes are not entitled to the full
blessings of the Gospel.
"Furthermore, your ideas, as we understand
them, appear to contemplate the intermarriage
of the Negro and White races, a concept which
has heretofore been most repugnant to most nor-
mal-minded people from the ancient patriarchs
till now. God's rule for Israel, his Chosen People,
has been endogamous. Modern Israel has been
similarly directed,
"We are not unmindful of the fact that
there is a growing tendency, particularly among
some educators, as it manifests itself in this
area, toward the breaking down of race barriers
in the matter of intermarriage between whites
and blacks, but it does not have the sanction
of the Church and is contrary to Church doc-
trine." 20
XIII
Those apologisers and critics who say that
the Church is unjust in refusing to permit the
Negro to hold the Priesthood, might ask them-
selves this question:
In our society today, from which situation
is the Negro suffering most: (1) In not being
permitted to hold the Priesthood in the LDS
Church, or (2) In having a black skin and
other Negroid features, which stigmatize him
in the eyes of most "Whites?
The answer is obvious.
And who controls the fact of his having
these Negroid features? His Creator, of course.
"When God allows a spirit to take on a
Negroid body, do you suppose He is unaware
of the fact that he will suffer a social stigma?
Therefore, if you say this Church is unjust
in not allowing the Negro to bear the Priesthood,
you must, to be consistent, likewise say that
God is even more unjust in giving him a black
skin.
"We might ask, how many of those LDS
who criticize the Church for not conferring the
Priesthood upon the Negro, have ever made the
effort to preach the Gospel to the Negro, to
bring him into the Church, to extend brotherly
love and kindness to him? How many non-LDS
critics are truly Christian toward the Negroes?
48
Is It barely possible that those Mormons and
non-Mormons who accuse the Church of hypoc-
risy in this matter are themselves the hypocrites?
Let the critic consider another question: can
you name one Negro who has actually suffered
by not having the privilege of bearing the Priest-
hood — suffered so far as social stigma or the
other things of this world? Is it not possible
to see an act of mercy on the part of God in not
having the Negro bear the Priesthood in this
world, in view of his living under the curse of
a black skin and other Negroid features? When
a man has the Priesthood conferred upon him,
Satan redoubles his efforts to destroy that man.
Just think of the weapons, the tools, that Satan
would have at his command, in the prejudices
of the world against the Negto. Who is to say
that, in view of these factors, the Negro is
not — so far as his temporal well being — better
off not to have the Priesthood? God has said
that where much is given much is required.
With the social prejudice against him, imagine
the obstacles that the Negro would encounter
in attempting to honor and magnify his Priest-
hood.
I believe that we should recognize the
mercy as well as the justice of God in all things.
49
The very fact that God would allow those spirits
who were less worthy in the spirit world to par-
take of a mortal body at all is further evidence
of His mercy. Indeed, are we not all partakers
of His infinite mercy and charity?
30
XIV
We should remember that this earth life
is but an extremely short, although a very im-
portant, span of time in the eternal scheme of
things. Like others, the Negro who makes the
most of his opportunities in righteousness in this
life, however limited those opportunities may
be, will have the privilege of some day bearing
the Priesthood. In this regard the Prophet Brig-
ham Young said:
". . . . 1 have endeavored to give you a few
items relating to the Celestial Kingdom of God
and to the other kingdoms which the Lord has
prepared for his children. The Lamanites or
Indians are just tts much the children of our
Father and God as we are. So also are the Afri-
cans, But we are also the children of adoption
through obedience to the Gospel of His Son.
Why are so many of the inhabitants of the
earth cursed with a skin of blackness? It comes
in consequence of their fathers rejecting the
power of the Holy Priesthood and law of God.
They will go down to death. And when all the
rest of the children have received their blessings
in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse will be
removed from the seed of Cain, and they will
then come up and possess the Priesthood, and
receive all the blessings which we now are en-
titled to." 21
51
XV
In conclusion:
(1) In the LDS doctrine regarding the
Negro, we see a vivid illustration of the prin-
ciples of free agency, fore-ordination, eternal
progress, and the justice and mercy of God.
(2) We see the importance of the rela-
tionship of pre-mortal life to this life, and thh
life to the next; that the circumstances of our
birth into this earth life are determined by our
performance in the spirit world, and that our per-
formance here will determine our fate hereafter.
(3) We should take warning by this as to
the need of our being valiant and anxiously en-
gaged in a good cause, so that we do not for-
feit our birthright and annul the gain that we
made in pre-mortal life.
(4) While the Negro suffers certain limita-
tions in this world, as pertaining ro the Priest-
hood and its attendant blessings, he can event-
ually have the opportunity of enjoying Priest-
hood membership.
( 5 ) We should remember that the Negroes,
like ourselves, are children of God, our brothers
and sisters; that our Church has a record of
kindliness toward the Negro; that whatever
prejudice exisrs against him is in the mind of
individuals, and certainly does not reflect Church
policy.
(6) There is nothing in Church policy
52
that forbids nor discourages us from extending
brotherly Christian love to the Negro. This,
however, does not and should not include inter-
marriage, for we would bring upon our children
the curse of Cain, or rather, we would bring
unto ourselves children from those spirits des-
tined to be of the seed of Cain.
( 7 ) We should stand united as members
of the Church bearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
not allowing Satan to cause doubt or conten-
tion among us on this or any other issue, for
if we know the truth the truth shall make us
free— free from such doubts and contentions.
(8) We should more keenly sense the great
opportunity and the tremendous challenge that
we have in carrying the Gospel to all the world,
to "every nation, kindred, tongue and -people"
sharing its blessings with all who will partake.
May God help us to do this.
53
REFERENCES
1 Romans 1 : 16.
2 John 8:32.
3 Moses 5:6-7.
4 Doctrine and. Covenants 93:36.
5 American Declaration of Independence.
6 History of the Church V:217.
7 History of the Church VI:205.
8 Abraham 3:22-23.
9 Dr. Lowry Nelson, a nationally prominent sociolo-
gist, a member of the LDS Church, a native
Utahn, and a fine Christian gentleman. Quote
is from his letter to the First Presidency of the
LDS Church, October 8, 1947.
10 Doctrine and Covenants 82:3.
11 LDS Article of Faith Number 2.
13 Moses 5:16-31.
13 Moses 5:36-40.
1* Moses 7:8.
15 Moses 7:22.
18 That is, the Egyptians of Abraham's day. The
present day Egyptians are another race of people,
and are not Negroid.
17 Remember, this was just shortly after the great
flood that had covered the earth. Apparently the
waters were still receding.
18 Apparently Ham's wife and daughter each had
the name of "Egyptus."
19 Abraham 1:20-27.
20 Letter of LDS First Presidency to Dr. Lowry
Nelson, July 17, 1947. See also note 9
21 Journal of Discourses 11:272.
54
The CHURCH and the
NEGROID PEOPLE
Historical information con-
cerning the doctrine of the
Church toward the Negroid
people.
By William E. Berrett
Vice President of
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William E, Berrett is Vice President of
Brigham Young University and Vice- Adminis-
trator of the Unified School System of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day -Saints, He
is also a member of the Utah Bar Association.
As a Church Historian he is the author of
THE RESTORED CHURCH, widely used as
a textbook in Church schools, and co-author of
the three volume, READINGS IN L.D.S.
CHURCH HISTORY, used widely in Church
colleges.
He is well informed in the area about which
he has written in the enclosed treatise. This trea-
tise should be read by all who are interested in
getting at the facts in a much disputed area.
THE CHURCH AND THE NEGROID PEOPLE
William E. Berrett
So much has been said concerning the- attitude of the
Church toward those of Negroid blood, and so often with-
out regard for the facts, that I have deemed it wise to
set out in simple fashion some of those even's, documents,
decisions, and opinions upon which the Church policy
rests. This is done without any pretention that these matters
when so portrayed will satisfy every inquiring mind, but
rather in the hope that those who feel obliged to discuss
the subject will not base their opinions and conclusions
on false premises.
The problem of the races is not new. The various
races have been with us since written history began. While
these races have intermingled to some degree, one of the
remarkable facts of history is their preservation in rather
distinct lines of cleavage.
Those who have tried to find explanation as to why
one race is white, another black, another red, another
yellow, or another brown, have run into real difficulties.
The old explanation that coloring was due to climatic
conditions under which the races lived giving rise to cer-
tain pigments in the skin has been discarded as man has
learned more of the history and distribution of peoples.
The long history of the White race living in the tropics
and the dark skinned Eskimo living in the frozen north has
pushed such theories into the discard. Frankly, we appear
to be without any generally accepted scientific explan-
ation.
Nor does the Bible assist us much in this direction. In
Genesis we read that Cain was cursed of the Lord for his
murder of Abel.
And now art thou cursed, from the earth, which hath
opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy
hand.
When thou fittest the ground, it shall not henceforth
i
yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond
shall thou be in the earth.
And Cain mid unto the Lord, my Punishment is greater
than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face
of the earth; and from thy face shall 1 be hid; and I shall be
a fugitive and vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to
pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whoever slayeth
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the
Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should
kill him. 1
What the mark was that came upon Cain and which
enabled others to distinguish him from the other children
of Adam is not made clear.
The Bible does not mention if or how the curse and
mark placed upon Cain survived the great flood. In the
account of Noah and his sons there is a curse referred to
as being placed on Canaan, son of Ham by his grandfather
Noah.
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants
shall he be unto his brethren.
And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and
tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 2
God shall enlarge Japbeth, and he shall dwell in the
tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
The Biblical account indicates a separation of the
descendants of Canaan from the lands occupied by the
descendants of Shem and Japheth, 3
The Biblical writers make little attempt to record die
history of other than Israelite peoples and distinguish
these as descendants of Shem. These we find very conscious
of racial streams. Thus Abraham sends for a woman from
among his own people at Haran as wife for his son Isaac.
And Isaacs son finds a wife in the same land. The Jews
returning from Babylon after the captivity re-established
2
Jerusalem but purged out all who could not trace cheir
genealogy to Israel. 4
While the Bible contains no account of a Negro bearing
the Priesthood of God, one would find rather scant mate-
rials upon which to base any policy limiting the rights and
participation of the Negro in God's Church. Thus when
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was estab-
lished under Joseph Smith's leadership in 1830 there did
not exist in Christian Churches generally any policy for-
bidding Negroes from membership and leadership in Chris-
tian Churches. True, wherever the Negro existed under con-
ditions of slavery as in the Southern States of America
he was considered as inferior to the Whites and was usually
segregated in Church services.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sainrs had
its origin north of the slave belt. The New England of that
day was not only a place where the Negro could be free,
it was also the seed bed for the abolitionists, those fiery
advocates of freedom and equal rights for the dark race in
America. In rhis atmosphere ir is nor surprising that we
find the early members of the Church often referred to
by the slave holders as "Negro-lovers." Certain it is that
most of the early members of rhe Church were opposed
to the principle of slavery.
The Book of Mormon strengthened that position:
. . . and be invite tb them all to come unto him and
partake of his goodness; and be denieth none that come
unto Mm, black and white, bond and free, male and female;
and he remembered the heathen; and all alike unto God,
both Jew and Gentile. 5
The zeal to establish the new Zion, however, found a
part of the Church almost at once settling near Indepen-
dence, Missouri, in the heart of a slave stare. Here all
northerners were looked upon with suspicion as "abolition-
ists" and feared at the polls. This opposition was enhanced
by the speed and fervor with which rhe Saints were pouring
into that part of Missouri and their openly avowed pur-
3
pose of acquiring the land solely for those of the "faith."
It is little wonder, therefore; that any expression writ-
ten or otherwise, on the part of the Saints which seemingly
defended the Negro, was seized upon by the slave holders
of Missouri as proof of abolitionist leanings. Thus, when
the July number of The Evening and Morning Star for
1835 published in Independence, contained an editorial on
"Free People of Color" it was the signal for violent action.
The editorial quoted the law of the state of Missouri relative
to a Negro or mulatto entering the state, followed by the
comment of the editor as follows:
Slaves are real estate in this and other states, and wisdom
would dictate great care among the branches of the Church
of Christ on this subject. So long as we have no special
rule in the Church as to people of color, let prudence
guide; and while they, as well as we, are in the hands of
a merciful God, we say: shun every appearance of evil. 6
Publishing this law, and the above comment, was con-
strued by the "old settlers" to be invitation to free people
of color to settle in Jackson County and as carrying in-
structions on how to do so legally.
The Saints quickly denied that intention by publishing
an extra to the July number on the 16th of that month,
in which we read:
Our intention was not only to stop free people of color
from emigrating to this state, but to prevent them from
being admitted as members of the church. Great care should
be taken on this point. The saints must shun every appear-
ance of evil. As to slaves we have nothing to say. In con-
nection with the wonderful events of this age, much is
doing towards abolishing slavery, and colonizing the blacks
in Africa. '
We often lament the situation of our sister states in
the south, and we fear, lest, as has been the case, th- blacks
should rise and spill innocent blood-, for they are ignorant,
and a little may lead them to disturb the peace of society.
To he short, we are opposed to have free people of color
4
admitted into the state; and we say, that none will be ad-
mitted into the church, for we are determined to obey the
laws and constitutions of our country, that we may have
that protection which the sons of liberty inherit from the
legacy of Washington, through the favorable auspices o)
a Jefferson, and Jackson?
Certain!)? the editor went too far in his denial when he
indicated that the Church would not admit Negroes into
membership as there were already a few Negroes in the
Church and he had no authority to deny them membership.
At any rate the "old settlers" considered the extra as a
weak excuse and aroused mob violence which destroyed
the Mormon press.
How many Negroes had joined the Church by 1833 is
not known. As late as 1839 Parley P. Pratt, wrote:
lii fact one dozen free Negroes or mulattoes have never
belonged to our society in any part of the world, from its
first organization to this day, 1839. 8
So intense was the feeling in the country regarding
the status of the Negro that Joseph Smith cautioned the
saints against the extreme view of the abolitionists 9 and
instructed missionaries to convert the master first and ap-
proach the slaves with the full knowledge and approval of
the owner. 10
Once the Saints had left the slave state of Missouri
and were settled in the free state of Illinois, the Prophet
Joseph gave voice to his views that the Government should
purchase the Negroes from their masters and set them
free. 11
At no time during the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
or since, has the church denied membership to the Negroes.
There have always been Negro members of the Church,
at least from 1833, although the numbers have been rela-
tively small, and no direct efforts have been made to
proselyte among them.
Membership in the Church has been open to the Negro
as to ail men because of the instructions to the Church, both
in the primitive Church and now, "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 12
That the Gospel is for all people is made clear by the
Lord in his preface to his book of Commandments:
Hearken, ye people of my church, saith the voice of
him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men;
yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye
that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.
For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and
there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall
not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that
shall not be penetrated.
And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow;
for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and
their secret acts shall be revealed.
And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by
the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these
last days.
And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for
I the Lord have commanded them.
Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority of my
servants, and my preface unto the book of my command-
ments, which I have given them to publish unto you, O
inhabitants of the earth . . .
For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men
shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not
yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from
the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own
dominion. 13
In setting forth the necessity for baptism and the re-
quirements of those who are to be baptized, no restriction
is placed as to race but, "All those who humble themselves
before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with
broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the
church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and
are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ,
6
having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly
manifest by their works that they have received of the
Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be
received by baptism into his Church. lA
Speaking of those unrighteous who are not permitted to
partake of the sacrament, the Saviof said to the Nephites:
Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among
you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him
unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that be re-
penteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive
him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood. 15
The Negro and the Priesthood
During the first year of the Church the question of
whether or not the Negro should be given the Priesthood
did not arise as there is no evidence of any Negroes having
been baptized. Even by 1833 Negro membership could be
counted on the fingers of one hand. It appears that one
person of Negto blood had been ordained an Elder by
William Smith while he was on his mission in New York
State as evidenced by a letter appearing in JOURNAL
History, June 2, 1847:
At this place (Batavia, New York) I found a colored
brother by the name of Lewis, a barber and an Elder in
the Church ordained by William Smith. This Lewis, I am
also informed, has a son who is married to a white girl
and both are members of the Church. I wish to know if
this is the order of God or tolerated, to ordain Negroes
to the Priesthood and allow in our organization. If it is
I desire to know it as I have yet got to learn it. 16
The only other Negro of whom we know, who was
ordained to the Priesthood during the lifetime of the
Prophet Joseph, was an octoroon by the name of Elijah
Abel. This man was one-eighth Negro and was light of
color. It is not known who ordained him or whether or not
it was known at the time that he had Negro blood. Con-
cerning Elijah Abel, Andrew Jensen in his L.D.S. Bio-
graphical Encyclopedia, Vol. 3:577 wrote:
ABEL, Elijah, the only colored man who is known to
have been ordained to the Priesthood, was born July 25,
1810, m Maryland. Becoming a convert to "Mormonism"
he was baptized in September, 1852, by Ezekeil Roberts
and, as appears from certificates, he was ordained an Elder
March 3, 1836, and a Seventy April A, 1841, as an exception
having been made in his case with regard to the general
rule of the Church in relation to colored people. At Nauvoo,
Illinois, where he resided, he followed the avocation of
an undertaker. After his arrival in Salt Lake City be became
a resident of the Tenth Ward, and together with his wife,
he managed the Farnham Hotel in Salt Lake City. In Nau-
voo he was intimately acquainted with the Prophet Joseph
Smith and later in life was the special friend of the late
Levi W. Hancock. In 1883, as a member of the Third
Quorum of Seventy, he left Salt Lake City on a mission to
Canada, during which time he also performed missionary
labors in the United States. Two weeks after his return
he died, December 25, 1884, of debility, consequent upon
exposure while laboring in the ministry in Ohio. He died
in full faith in the Gospel.
The entry is misleading because it does not disclose
that Elijah Abel was only part Negro and does not discJose
the fact that in a meeting, May 31, 1879, at the home of
President A. O. Smoot, Provo, Utah, leaders of the Church
reapproved that the Priesthood was not for the Negro, and
that Elijah Abel was not to exercise any Priesthood rights.
The fact that subsequent to that date Elijah Abel was called
on a mission does not necessarily imply that he participated
in any baptisms or ordinations. It appears that at the meet-
ing at Brother Smoot's home, the whole subject of the
Negro and the Priesthood seems to have been discussed,
especially Joseph Smith's attitude on the subject. The fol-
lowing entry appears in JOURNAL HISTORY:
NEGRO
PRIESTHOOD NOT TO BE CONFERRED
UPON NEGRO 1879
S
Saturday, May 3 1st, 1879, at the house of President
A. O, Smoot, Provo City, Utah, Utah County, at 5 o'clock
P.M.
President John Taylor, Elders Brigham Young, Abram
O, Smoot, Zebedee Coltrin and L. John Nuttall met, and
the subject of ordaining Negroes to the Priesthood was
presented.
President Taylor said: "Some parties have said to me
that Brother Zebedee Coltrin had talked to the Prophet
Joseph Smith on this subject, and they said that he
(Coltrin) thought it was not right for them to have
the Priesthood. Whereupon the Prophet said to him that
Peter on a certain occasion had a vision wherein he saw
heaven opened, and certain vessel descended unto him,
as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and
let down to earth; wherein all manner of four-footed beasts
of the earth, and wild beasts, and cteeping things, and
fowls of the air — And there came a voice to him: Rise,
Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so lord; for I have
never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And
the voice spake unto him again the second time, What
God had cleansed, that call not thou common."
And the Prophet Joseph then said to Brorher Coltrin,
as the Angel said to Peter, "What God hath cleansed, that
call not thou common."
President Taylor asked Brother Coltrin: "Did the
Prophet Joseph ever make such a statement to you?
Brother Coltrin: "No sir; he never said anything of
the kind in his life to me."
President Taylor: "What did he say?"
Brother Coltrin: "The spring that we went up in Zion's
Camp in 1834, Brother Joseph sent Brother J. P. Green
and me out south to gather up means to assist in gathering
out the Saints from Jackson County, Missouri. On our
return home we got in conversation about the Negro hav-
ing a right to the priesthood, and I took up the side he
had no right. Brother Green argued that he had. The sub-
9
ject got so warm between us that he said he would report
me to Brother Joseph when we got home for preaching
false doctrine, which doctrine that I advocated was that
the Negro could not hold the Priesthood. 'All right,' said I,
'I hope you will.' And when we got to Kirtland, we both
went to Brother Joseph's office together to make our
returns, and Brother Green was as good as his wotd and
reported to Brother Joseph that I said that the Negro
could not hold the Priesthood. Brother Joseph kind of
dropped his head and rested it on his hand for a minute,
and then said, 'Brother Zcbedee is right, for the spirit of
the Lord saith the Negro has no right not cannot hold the
Priesthood." He made no reference to Scripture at all, but
such was his decision. I don't recollect ever having any
conversation with him afterwards on this subject. But I
have heard him say in public that no person having the
least particle of Negro blood can hold the Priesthood.
Brother Coltrin further said : Brother Abel was ordained
a seventy because he had labored on the Temple, (it must
have been in the 2nd Quorum) and when the Prophet
Joseph learned of his lineage he was dropped from the
Quorum, and another was put in his place. I was one of the
first Seven Presidents of the Quorum of Seventy at the
time he was dropped.
President Taylor: Brother Zebedee, you are not one
of the Seven Presidents now. What have you been doing?
Brother Coltrin: I was acting then as one of the First
Seven Presidents of Seventy and was ordered back into the
Quorum of High Priests. I can tell you how that thing first
started. Brother Winchester and Brother Jared Carter while
on the Brick Yard at Kirtland (Brother Winchester a
Seventy and Brother Jared a High Priest) got to contend-
ing which held the highest office. Carter was rebuking
him on account of his folly, which he said he had no right
to do, as he held a higher Priesthood than he did. Jared
contended he didn't because he was a High Priest. This
thing came to the ears of Uncle Joseph Smith, and then
10
they went to the Prophet Joseph with it. The Prophet then
inquired of the Lord, and he afterwards directed that we
be put back with the Quorum of High Priests, and other
men (five) were then ordained to the Presidency of Seven-
ties, and three out of that five apostatized. Brothers Joseph
Young and Levi Hancock were retained and the other five
filled the number.
In the washing and annointing of Brother Abel at
Kittland, I annointed him and while I had my hands upon
his head, I never had such unpleasant feelings in my life.
And I said, "I never would again annoint another person
who had Negro blood in him unless I was commanded
by the Prophet to do so."
ZEBEDEE COLTRIN
Attest:
L. John Nuttall
Brother A. O. Smoot said W. W. Patten, Warren Par-
rish and Thomas B. Marsh were laboring in the Southern
States in 1835 and 1836. There were Negroes who made
application for baptism. And the question arose with them
whether Negroes were entitled to hold the Prieshood. And
by those brethren it was decided they would not confer
the Priesthood until they had consulted the Prophet Joseph,
and subsequently they communicated with him. His de-
cision, as I understood was, they were not entitled to the
Priesthood, nor yet to be baptized without the consent
of their Masters.
In after years when I became acquainted with Joseph
myself in the Far West, about the year 1838, I received
from Brother Joseph substantially the same instructions.
It was on my application to him, what should be done with
the Negro in the South, as I was preaching to them. He
said I could baptize them by consent of their masters, but
not to confer the Priesthood upon them.
(Signed) A. O. SMOOT
Attest:
L. John Nuttall.
11
The scriptural references which are considered as con-
trolling in the matter of the Negro and the Priesthood are
found in the visions of the text of Moses, received by
Joseph Smith in 1830-1831, (Book of Moses) and in the
text of the Book of Abraham, first published in 1842, in
Nauvoo, Illinois. The passages are as follows:
Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the
face of the Lord, and from thy face shall I be hid; and J
shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall
came to pass, that he that findeth me will slay me, because
of mine iniquities, for these things are not hid from the
Lord.
And 1 the Lord said unto him: Whosoever slayeth thee,
vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And I the Lord
set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill
him. 17
And the Lord said unto me: Prophesy, and I prophesied,
saying: Behold the people of Canaan, which are numerous,
shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shum,
and shall slay them that they shall utterly he destroyed; and
the people of Canaan shall divide themselves in the land,
and the land shall be barren and unfruitful, and none other
people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan;
For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much
heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and
there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan,
that they were despised among all people . . ■
And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon
all the people, save it were the people of Canaan, to
repent. 1 *
Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins
of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites
by birth.
From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus
the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land.
The land of Egypt, being first discovered by a
woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of
12
Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies that which is
forbidden.
When this woman discovered the land it was under
water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from
Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the
land.
Now the first government of Egypt was established
by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham,
and it was after the manner of the government of Ham,
which was patriarchal.
Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his king-
dom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days,
seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the
fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first
patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also
of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings
of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed
him as pertaining to the Priesthood.
Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could
not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the
Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham,
therefore my father was led away by their idolatry. 19
Even before his translation of the Abrahamic docu-
ments, Joseph Smith taught that the Negroes were des-
cendants of Ham. Thus we read in his documentary history,
". . , Negroes, descendants of Ham." 20
And again we read: ". . . the Indians have greater cause
to complain of the treatment of the Whites, than the
Negroes, or sons of Cain? 1
The teachings of Joseph Smith that the Negro should
not be given the Priesthood seem to have been well under-
stood by those who stood closest to him in the councils of
the Church. Brigham Young, second President of the
Church, had no question whatever in the matter. His view
is expressed in the following:
. . . The first man that committed the odius crime of
killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any
13
one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother, Cain
might have been killed, and that would have put a termi-
nation to that line of human beings. This was not to be,
and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose
and black skin . . . after the flood, . . . another curse is
Pronounced upon the same race — that they should be the
"servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is
removed; . . . Bow long is that race to endure the dreadful
curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them,
and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it
until all the other descendants of Adam have received the
promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and
the keys thereof .... They were the first that were cursed,
and they will be the last from whom the curse will be
removed. 22
And again:
. , . The Lamanites or Indians are just as much the
children of our God as we are. So also are the Africans.
But we are also the children of adoption through obed-
ience to the Gospel of His Son. Why are so many of the
inhabitants of the earth cursed with a skin of blackness?
It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the
power of the Holy Priesthood, and the law of God. They
will go down to death. And when all the rest of the chil-
dren have received their blessings in the Holy Priesthood,
then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain,
and they will then come up and possess the priesthood,
and receive the blessings which we now are entitled toP
The viewpoint of the Church in 1852 is well expressed
in an article appearing in the DESERET News for April
3rd of that year:
. . . The descendants of Cain cannot cast off their skin
of blackness, at once, and immediately, although every soul
of them should repent, obey the gospel, and do right, from
this day forward. The mark was put upon Cain by God
himself, because Cain killed his brother Abel, thereby
hoping to get the birthright, and secure to himself the
14
blessings which legally belonged to Abel; but Cain could
not obtain Abel's birthright by murder . . .
Cam did not obtain Abel's birthright and blessing,
though be killed him for that purpose; the blessings which
belonged to Abel, descended to his posterity; and until the
blessings of Abel's birthright are fully received, secured, and
realized, by bis {Abel's) descendants, Cain and his pos-
terity must wear the mark which God put upon them; and
his White friends may wash the race of Cain with Fuller 1 s
soap every day, they cannot wash away God's mark: yet,
the Canaanites may believe the Gospel, repent, and be bap-
tized, and receive the Spirit of the Lord, and if he continues
faithful until Abel's race is satisfied with his blessings,
then may the race of Cain receive a fullness of the priest-
hood, and become satisfied with blessings, and the two of
them become as one again, when Cain has paid the utter-
most farthing? 1
President Wilford Woodruff taught the same doctrine
in regard to the Negro. Math! as F. Cowley in his biography
of Wilford Woodruff states the following;
He said in his journel of October, that year (1894,)
that 'Aunt Jane,' the colored sister, had been to see him.
She was anxious to go through the Temple and receive
the higher ordinances of the gospel. President Woodruff
blessed her for her constant, never changing devotion to
the gospel, but explained to her her disadvantages as one
of the descendants of Cain.
In after years when President Joseph P. Smith preached
the funeral sermon of this same faithful woman he declared
that she would in the resurrection attain the longings of
her soul and become a white and beautiful person."
President Woodruff made the statement: "The day will
come when all that race will be redeemed and possess all
the blessings which we now have."
The position of the First Presidency in 1951 is clarified
by the following announcement:
15
Statement by the
First Presidency of the
Church of Jesns Christ of Latter-day Saints
on the
Negro Question
August 17, 1951
The artitude of the Church with reference to negroes
remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the
declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from
the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church
from the days of its organization, to the effect that negroes
may become members of the church but that they are not
entitled to the priesthood at the present time. The prophets
of the Lord have made several statements as to the opera-
tion of the principle. President Brigham Young said: "Why
are so many of the inhabitants of the earth cursed with a
skin of blackness? It comes in consequence of their fathers
rejecting the power of the holy priesthood, and the law of
God. They will go down to death. And when all the rest
of the children have received their blessings in the holy
priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed
of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the
priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are
entitled to."
President Wilford Woodruff made the following state-
ment: "The day will come when all that race will be
redeemed and possess all the blessings which we now
have."
The position of the Church regarding the negro may
be understood when another doctrine of the Church is kept
in mind, namely, that the conduct of spirits in the pre-
mortal existence has some determining effect upon the
conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take
on mortality, and that while the details of this priniciple
have not been made known, the principle itself indicates
that the coming to this earth and taking on mortality
is a privilege that is given to those who maintained their
16
first estate; and that the worth of the privilege is so great
that spirits are willing to come to earth and take on bodies
no matter what the handicap may be as to the kind of
bodies they are to secure; and that among the handicaps,
failure of the right to enjoy in mortality the blessings
of the priesthood, is a handicap which spirits are willing
to assume in order that they might come to earth. Under
this principle there is no injustice whatsoever involved in
this deprivation as to the holding of the priesthood by
the negroes.
Why the Negro was denied the Priesthood from the
days ai Adam to our day is not known. The few known
facts about our pre-earth life and our entrance into mor-
tality must be taken into account in any attempt at an
explanation.
1. Not all intelligences reached the same degree of
attainment in the pre-earth life.
And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist,
that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than
the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they;
I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.
The Lord thy God sent his angel to deliver thee from the
hands of the priest of Elkenah.
I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have
come down unto thee to deliver unto thee the works which
my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them
all, for I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath,
in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine
eyes have seen from the beginning; I came down in the
beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast
seen.
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelli-
gences that were organized before the world was; and
among all these there were many of the noble and great
ones;
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he
stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make
17
my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and
he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham,
thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast
born. . . .
And we will prove them herewith to see if they will
do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command
them;
And they who keep their first estate shall be added
upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not
have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their
first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have
glory added upon their heads for ever and everP
2. Man will be punished for his own sins and not for
Adam's transgression. (2nd Article of Faith.) If this is
carried further, it would imply that the Negro is punished
or alloted to a certain position on this earth, not because
of Cain's transgression, but came to earth through the loins
of Cain because of his failure to achieve other stature in
the spirit world.
3. All spirits are born innocent into this world.
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning;
and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became
again, in their infant state, innocent before God? 7
4. The negro was a follower of Jehovah in the pre-
carth life. (There were no neutrals.)
One of the best explanations is that given by President
David O. McKay:
November 3, 1947
Dear Brother:
In your letter to me of October 28, 1947, you say that
you and some of your fellow students "have been perturbed
about the question of why the negroid race cannot hold
the priesthood."
In reply I send you the following thoughts that I
expressed to a friend upon the same subject:
Stated briefly your problem is simply this:
Since, as Paul states, the Lord "hath made of one blood
18
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,"
why is there shown in the Church of Christ discrimination
against the colored race?
This is a perplexing question, particularly in the
light of the present trend of civilization to grant equality
to all men irrespective of race, creed, or color. The answer,
as I have sought it, cannot be found in abstract reasoning,
for, in this case, reason to the soul is "dim as the bor-
rowed rays of moon and stars to lonely, weary, wandering
travelers."
I know of no scriptural basis for denying the Priest-
hood to Negroes other than one verse in the Book of
Abraham (1:26); however, I believe, as you suggest, that
the real reason dates back to our pre-existant life.
This means that the true answer to your question (and
ir is the only one that has ever given me satisfaction) has
its foundation in faith — (1) Faith in a God of Justice,
(2) Faith in the existence of an eternal plan of salvation
for all God's children.
Faith in a God of Justice Essential
I say faith in a God of Justice, because if we hold the
lord responsible for the conditions of the Negro in his
relationship to the Church, we must acknowledge justice
as an attribute of the Eternal, or conceive Him as a dis-
criminator and therefore unworthy of our worship. In
seeking our answer, then, to the problem wherein discrim-
ination seems apparent, we must accept the Lord as being
upright, and that "justice and judgment are the habitation
of His throne." (Psalm 89:14), and we must believe that
He will "render to every man according to his work," and
that He "shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil,"
(Eccl. 12-14 > Accepting the truth that God is just and
righteous, we may then set our minds at rest in the assur-
ance that "Whatosever good thing any man doeth the
same shall be received of the Lord, whether he be bond
19
or free." (Eph. 6:8.)
I emphasize Justice as an attribute of Deity, because it
is the Lord who, though He "made of one blood all nations,"
also "determined the bounds of their habitation." In oilier
words, the seeming discrimination by the Church toward
the Negro is not something which originated with man,
but goes back into the Beginning with God.
It was the Lord who said that Pharaoh, the first Gover-
nor of Egypt, though "a righteous man, blessed with the
blessings of the earth, with the blessings of wisdom . . .
could not have the Priesthood."
Now if we have faith in the justice of God, we are
forced to the conclusion that this denial was not a de-
privation of merited right. It may have been entirely in
keeping with the eternal plan of salvation for all of the
children of God.
The Peopling of the Earth is in Accordance With
a Great Plan
Revelation assures us that this plan antedates man's
mortal existence, extending back to man's pre-existent state.
In that pre-mortal state were "intelligences that were organ-
ized before the world was; and among all these there were
many of the noble and great ones;
"And God saw these souls that they were good, and he
stood in the midst of them, and he said: "These I will
make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits,
and he saw that they were good."
Manifestly, from this revelation, we may infer two
things: first that there were many among those spirits
different degrees of intelligence, varying grades of achieve-
ment, retarded and advanced spiritual attainment; second,
that there were no national distinctions among those spirits
such as Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Australians, etc.
Such "bounds of habitation would have to be "determined"
when the spirits entered upon their earthly existence or
second estate.
20
In the "Blue Bird" Materlinck pictures unborn children
summoned to earth life. As one group approaches the earth,
the voices of the children earthward tending are heard
in the distance to cry: "The earth! the earth! I can see it;
how beautiful it is! How bright it is! " Then following these
cries of ecstacy there issued from out of the depth of the
abyss a sweet song of gentleness and expectancy, in refer-
ence to which rhe author says: "It is rhe song of the
mothers coming out to meet them."
Materlinck's fairy play is not all fantasy or imagination,
neither is Worthword's "Ode on Intimations of Immor-
tality" wherein he says:
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home;
For, as we have already quoted, it is given as a fact
in revelation that Abraham was chosen before he was born.
Songs of expectant parents come from all parts of the earth,
and each little spirit is attracted to the spiritual and mortal
parentage for which the spirit had prepared itself.
Now if none of these spirits was permitted to enter
mortality until they all were good and great and had be-
come leaders, then the diversity of conditions among the
children of men as we see them today would certainly
seem to indicate discrimination and injustice. But if in their
eagerness to take upon themselves bodies, the spirits were
willing ro come through any lineage for which they were
worthy, or to which they were attracted, then they were
given the full reward of merit, and were satisfied, yes, and
even blessed.
Accepting this theory of life, we have a reasonable
21
explanation of existent conditions in the habitations of
man. How the law of spirital attraction works between
the spirit and the expectant parents, has not been tevealed,
neither can finite mind fully understand. By analogy, how-
ever, we Can perhaps get a glimpse of what might take
place in that spirit world. In physics we refer to the law
of attraction wherein some force acting mutually between
particles of matter tends to draw them together and to keep
them from separating. In chemistry, there is an attractive
force exerted between atoms, which causes them to enter
into combination. We know, too, that there is an affinity
between persons — a spiritual relationship or attraction
wherein individuals are either drawn towards others or
repelled by others. Might it not be so in the realm of
spirit — each individual attracted to the parentage for which
it is prepared. Our place in this world would then be deter-
mined by our advancement or conditions in the pre-
mortal state, just as our place in our future existence will
be determined by what we do here in mortality.
When, therefore, the Creator said to Abraham, and to
others of his attainment "You I will make my rulers," there
could exist no feeling of envy or of jealousy among the
million other spirits, for those who were "good and great"
were but receiving their just reward, just as do members of
a graduation class who have successfully completed their
prescribed courses of study. The thousands of other students
who have not yet attained that honor still have the privilege
to seek it, or they may, if they choose, remain in satisfaction
down in the grades.
By the operation of some eternal law with which man
is yet unfamiliar, spirits come through parentages for which
they are worthy — -some as Bushmen of Australia, some as
Solomon Islanders, some as Americans, as Europeans, as
Asiatics, etc., etc., with all the varying degrees of mentality
and spirituality manifest in parents of the different races
that inhabit the earth.
Of rhis we may be sure, each was satisfied and happy
22
to come through tine lineage ro which he or she was at-
tracted and for which, and only which, he ot she was
prepared.
The Priesthood was given to those who were chosen
as leaders. There were many who could not receive it, yet
who knew that it was possible for them at sometime in the
eternal plan to achieve that honor. Even those who knew
that they would not be prepared to receive it during their
mortal existence were content in the realization that they
could attain every earthly blessing — progress intellectually
and spiritually, and possess to a limited degree the blessing
of wisdom,
George Washington Carver was one of the noblest souls
that ever came to earth. He held a close kinship with his
heavenly Father, and rendered a service to his fellowmen
such as few have ever excelled. For every righteous en-
deavor, for every noble impulse, for every good deed per-
formed in his useful life George Washington Carver will
be rewarded, and so will every other man be he red, white,
black or yellow, for God is no respector of persons.
Sometime in God's eternal plan, the Negro will be
given the right to hold the Priesthood. In the meantime,
those of that race who receive the testimony of the Restored
Gospel may have their family rics protected and othet bless-
ings made secure, for in the justice and mercy of the Lord
they will possess all the blessings to which they are entitled
in the eternal plan of Salvation and Exaltation.
Nephi 26:33, to which you refer, does not contradict
what I have said above, because the Negro is entitled to
come unto the Lord by baptism, confirmation, and to
receive the assistance of the Church in living righreously.
Sincerely yours,
Signed by David O. McKay.
DOM: cm
COPY
For publication of the above letter see HOME MEMORIES OF
President David O. McKay, by Llewelyn R. McKay, pp
226-231, Published by Deseret Book Company.
23
REFERENCES
1 Genesis 4: 11-15
2 Ibid. 9:25-27
5 Ibid, 10:15-20, 32
4 Ezra 2;6l-63; 10:10-17
5 2 Nephi 26:33
6 EVENING AND Mornjng Star, Kirtland Reprint, July, 1833, pp 218-19.
7 B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol I,
p. 328.
* Parley P. Pratt, Late Persecution of Church of Latter-day
Saints, New York; J. W, Harrison, 1840, p 28.
8 Times and Seasons, Vol III, No. 15, pp. 806-808.
10 See - Kirkpatrick, "The Negro and the L.D.S. Church," Utah Historical
Quarterly.
11 See - Joseph Smith, Memorial to Congress, History of the Church,
Vol. 6, pp. 197-209.
12 St. Matthew 28:19
13 D. & C. 1: 1-6, 35
14 D. & C. 20:37
J5 3 Nephi 18:30
I haven't had opportunity to check this letter as to date, etc., but have
had a copy in my files as above for some time.
17 Moses 5:39-40
18 Moses 7:7-8, 12
19 Abraham 1:21-27
20 Joseph Smith; History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 191
21 Ibid. Vol 4, p. 501
22 Brigham Young, JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, Vol. 7, pp. 290-291
23 Ibid., Vol 11, p, 272
24 Deseret News, Vol. 2, No. 11, Saturday April 3, 1852.
25 Wilford Woodruff by M. F. Cowley, p. 587
25 Abraham 3:19-23, 25-26
27 D. & C 93:38.
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